Rain pushed the people from the balcony back into the condominium. The Governor made sure the servers kept moving about the rooms serving the hors d’oeuvres and that the bartenders poured the drinks.
“It’s a great view.” The Governor handed two glasses of wine to a couple standing at the window. “If the rain stops we’ll have a great view of the fireworks in a few hours.” He pointed out some of the landmarks to the couple and talked about the development of restaurants and stores that made the location more desirable. “No, questions on the property? Enjoy the evening.”
The couple left the Governor to his view. He looked over the river and Nicollet Island where people were soaked and looking for shelter from the rain. He thought about his crew underground and looked towards the Federal Reserve. He was excited. He felt like a young boy at Christmas waiting for Santa. A few hours and he would be at the end of his journey. A caravan of cars, and a panel truck with a police escort crossing the Hennepin Avenue bridge caught his attention.
“Sir, could we see a couple of the other units that aren’t quite so expensive?”
The Governor tried to watch where the cars were going, but was pulled back into the party and the sale of the condos. He smiled and answered their questions while he sat with them in the living room where he showed them condo layouts, pictures, and price ranges.
As he was talking with them about financing options, his mobile phone rang. The Governor’s pulse quickened and he excused himself to take the call when the caller identified herself as an employee of the security system for his condo and said that the alarm had been triggered. The Governor stepped to the window and looked across the river. The rain-streaked glass obscured his view. He opened the patio door and stepped outside. He looked and saw that the lights were on in his home.
He didn’t know how they had found him, but he knew he needed to leave. It wouldn’t take them long to search for him at the party. They may already be coming for him. He checked his watch. There was still time to execute the plan. He was so close to the end. The Governor hurried to the elevator and took it to the basement parking garage.
Jack and Ross hung back while the team went to work executing the warrant. Neighbors had been moved from the adjacent quarters on either side, above, and below. They’d used the key from the landlord so they didn’t have to break down the door. The security alarm was blaring and team members were calling out directions to each other as they checked out the condo.
When it was determined that the condo was secure and empty, Jack and Ross entered. “Can somebody shut off the alarm?” Jack yelled over the din. He tapped Ross on the shoulder and leaned into him. “This noise is giving me a headache. What do you want to do?”
Ross spoke into Jack’s ear. “You check out the living room and kitchen, I’ll take the other rooms.”
The living room drew Jack’s attention first. He looked around with his fingers stuck in his ears to muffle the alarm. The room was neat and orderly. Nothing personal was visible. The room felt more like a furniture store display area than a home. The decor was tasteful, with a touch of class. After checking a couple of drawers in the side tables and looking behind the paintings on the wall, Jack ventured into the kitchen. “Who’s taking care of the alarm?” he yelled as he passed the alarm panel.
The refrigerator was modestly stocked with green bottles of water and a couple bottles of wine. Two Chinese food take-out containers were on the second shelf. A few apples were in the proper storage compartment. He looked under the sink and found a garbage can, but it was empty. Everything was too neat.
The alarm continued blaring. He couldn’t think. He stood and leaned against the counter while he massaged his temples. Now they know who the Governor is, they just have to find him. “Would somebody stop this alarm? I’m trying to think here.” Jack closed his eyes, thinking back over the past few days. He and Patty had watched a real estate developer, the Governor, walk across the bridge with a dog. Silence pressed on Jack when the alarm abruptly ended. He opened his eyes and pulled his fingers from his ears. “Finally.”
Jack decided to finish looking through the kitchen. The cupboards held some crackers, cereal, and cans of soup along with plates, bowls, and glasses. Everything was clean and stacked neatly. Labels all faced forward. Around the corner by the stove, Jack found dog bowls on the floor, one empty, one filled with water. An empty hook on the wall would have held a leash. He looked down at the black rubber matt that the food and water bowls sat on. White letters across the matt spelled out
V I N C E
Jack pictured Willy looking up into his face. His name’s Vince, Dad. Panic gripped him. It was hard to breathe. His vision was a blur as he pictured his kids with the dog just thirty minutes ago on Nicollet Island. Jack found himself at the living room window looking down on the bridge and the island. People were huddled under the eaves of the buildings. The sky was still dark with storm clouds. He grabbed his phone and dialed, looking down, hoping to spot them.
“Nice view, isn’t it?” Ross asked. Jack turned and found Ross unrolling plans on the coffee table.
“I have to find my family.” Jack walked over to Ross. “Some guy left a dog with my kids. I think it was the Governor. He left his dog with my kids!”
“What? Well take a look at this.” The top-half of the top page was an overhead view of the area of the Mississippi River they were at from Boom Island to the north to locks south of the Stone Arch Bridge. There were notes written in pen and pencil at various locations. The bottom half of the page had some elevation views, cross-sections of what was below ground.
“What is this?” Jack asked as he dialed another number.
“Hold down this side.” Ross peeled back the first page like a giant book to show the second page. “He’s got sewers marked and named. It shows their depths, routes, etc.”
“Just a second, Junior. Jules. That dog, Vince, he’s the Governor’s dog. The Governor gave him to the kids. Tell the officer to take you all to the FBI office and stay there until I get you. Bye.”
“OK, Junior. Sewers, depths, and?”
Ross turned back the second page. The third page was a cover page for the rest of the documents. The seal for the Ninth District Federal Reserve covered the center of the page. “These are the plans for the Minneapolis Federal Reserve from when it was built in 1994.”
Jack leaned forward, then back to bring the drawing into focus. He used his free hand to smooth out the page. “Guess what I learned today from my daughter?”
“What?”
“The Federal Reserve has never been robbed.”